Eggplant casserole

This vegetarian eggplant casserole dish is a meal in itself, is most colourful and is quite delicious served with crusty bread.

Ingredients 

2 red onions
1 egg plant
2 small zucchinis
1 red capsicum
1 yellow capsicum
2 cloves garlic
¼ – ½ cup cooking oil
450 gms fresh tomatoes (or a 450gm can of peeled whole tomatoes)
1 cup cooked chickpeas (or a 375gm can chickpeas)
2 tablespoons fresh mixed herbs – thyme, rosemary, basil (or 1 tablespoon dried mixed herbs
1 teaspoon ground cumin seeds

 Method

1. Peel and chop the onions
2. Cut the eggplant into 2cm cubes
3. Slice the zucchinis into rounds
4. Remove the seeds from the capsicums and cut into pieces
5. Peel the garlic and chop very finely
6. Pour 1 tablespoon oil into a large heavy saucepan
7. Add the onion and garlic and fry gently until the onion is translucent
8. Add the egg plant, zucchini and capsicum pieces
9. Cook until the vegetables are just soft, adding more oil as required to stop the pieces from sticking
10. Pour over the tomatoes, add the cooked chickpeas, herbs and spices
11. Cover saucepan and simmer gently for 30 minutes
12. Spoon into serving bowls ad serve with crusty bread pieces.

Serves 4

 Note

The longer you cook the vegetables, the more the flavour will develop. If you have time, prepare the casserole several hours before you need it or even the day before.  You can cook this gently for up to 2 hours to really let the flavour come through.